New Holland Island

The island was cut out by canals in 1719 as a naval timber store - stacks of ship timber seasoned in tall brick sheds arranged around a basin - and it stayed a military site, closed to the public, until the 2000s. The arch over the canal by Vallin de la Mothe, of the 1760s, is the piece everyone knew from outside. A round brick building of 1829, built as a naval prison and nicknamed the bottle, gave Russian a phrase for being in trouble. Redevelopment opened it in 2016: lawns, a large pond that becomes a skating rink, the brick warehouses converted to shops, restaurants and studios, the bottle turned into a food court, a wooden playground built as a frigate, and a programme of concerts and markets. It is well done and thoroughly commercial, and it is the one place in the historic centre where people lie on grass.

History

The island was made in 1719, when the new Kryukov and Admiralty canals joined the Moika to the Neva, and it took its name from canals and shipyards that made it look like Amsterdam. It was built to store timber, Peter the Great added a naval port and a small wooden palace for himself, and in 1721 it became the country's first military port (Wikipedia, New Holland Island).

Highlights

• The 1760s arch - de la Mothe's canal arch, the island's face for two centuries.
• The bottle - the round 1829 naval prison, now a food court.
• The timber sheds - tall brick warehouses converted to shops and studios.
• The lawns - open grass in the historic centre, with a pond that freezes for skating.

When to go

May to September for the lawns; winter for the rink. Two to three hours. Some parts close seasonally.

Practical notes

It is a commercial development and prices inside are high. Grass areas are fenced off in wet weather. Events fill it at weekends. Parts of the island remain under reconstruction and closed.

Nearby

The Mariinsky Theatre is a short walk; Nikolsky cathedral is nearby.

Key facts